Guilford County, NC Water Quality: PFAS & Lead

Guilford County, North Carolina: drinking water report. Guilford County – Greensboro and High Point – serves about 540,000 residents in the central North…

Water Quality in Guilford County, NC

Guilford County – Greensboro and High Point – serves about 540,000 residents in the central North Carolina Piedmont. Greensboro draws from Lake Brandt, Lake Higgins, and Lake Townsend, all local reservoirs. The city operates its own watershed protection program to maintain source water quality.

What the Data Shows

Greensboro's local reservoir system provides cleaner source water than cities drawing from large river systems. UCMR5 data shows low-level PFAS detections. The county does not host major military installations.

According to NC DEQ's 2024 monitoring data, Greensboro's system met all federal standards. The city's proactive watershed management – including land acquisition and development restrictions around the reservoirs – has helped maintain water quality despite suburban growth in the watershed.

What Guilford County Residents Should Do

Guilford County benefits from protected local reservoirs and competent treatment. Water quality is consistently good.

Check your water for data in your area. Even with a clean supply, a carbon filter improves taste. Our water filter guide covers options. Pull your detailed report, and visit our North Carolina page for statewide data.

Beyond water: other exposures in Guilford County, NC

Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Guilford County, NC.

Radon risk

The EPA places Guilford County, NC in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.

Lead paint risk

42% of homes in Guilford County, NC were built before 1980, and 9% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.

Air quality

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Guilford County, NC averages 8.3 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.

How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide